Has professional drag racing lost it's audience?

I think about the only excitment in No Hot Rods Allowed dragracing is listening to Whit Bazemore complaining. I think he is missing a good bet by not getting a major wine company to sponser his car, Mad Dog 20/20 perhaps.

 

I appreciate what someone had to say about Kenny Bernstein and his perspective on corporate sponsorship. KB was an independently wealthy entrepreneur from day one, and he is the guy that was fortunate enough to have landed a sponsor that provided him with the equipment and budget that it takes to win. When he was winning in the Flopper or T/FD, he was a flaming asshole, almost unapproachable to the majority of his fans. I've seen him turn his back and walk away from kids trying to get his autograph. When he ran into a competitive dry spell, he almost became human again, and started to greet the public. Two years ago he milked the system with the "Forever Red Tour", his much publicized retirement and passing of the torch to his son Brandon. Made zillions of bucks selling all of the farewell stuff. Where is he today, probably going through tech inspection at Pamona while his son is mending from a dumb ass attack he had at Englishtown. I have to say this, I certainly don't want to see anyone injured in a sport that I have lived my entire life, and Kenny's son Brandon is no exception. But I'm wondering if he refunded any of the troops that purchased those bullshit T-shirts, when he climbed back into the cockpit. And now, by his own admission, he feels that his retirement was a bit premature. Trust me, you'll see him back next year, maybe even a two car Bud team. And yes, Shirley may be a bit snotty at times but she's a real person and a talented Top Fuel pilot, she got almost sideways during qualifying at Indy this year, and had the skill to know how to give up and save the car for another day. Brandon could learn something from her ability to do what he didn't! All that being said, and it certainly is just my opinion, I still like going once a year and watching the fuel cars run. I live within 20 minutes of National Trails here in Columbus, and never go there, other then when the NHRA circus is in town. Let's here it for guys like Eddie Hill, couldn't pick a nicer guy or better embassador for the sport! In reading what all of the previous posts have said, I come to one simple conclusion...........the times have changed without question, technology has changed the sport and with the fast pace of technology comes a huge rise in the cost of competition. I for one, liked the evolution of reversers and electric starters, Christ, it used to take forever to get a pair of fuel cars staged! Didn't wind my watch, I wanted fire and smoke and noise! I lost my best friend a year or so ago, we had gone to the Spring Nationals for 20 consecutative years. One of his sayings kind of put the changes in perspective, and I'll quote him. "Come on man, let's go finance a burger, 90 days, same as cash"!

Shoe

 

I have to say that their is nothing in the world to me like the sights, and smells of a national event! But its not what it was ment to be any more. Its all about the money. I can remeber sitting in a mall parking lot as a little kid walking around looking at all the cars on open trailers, and ol ramp trucks. Thats when it was fun! and that was in the mid 80s. I grew up with the only dream in my head, and only 1 goal i had was to run stock eliminator just like my father, and grandfather. When i finaly got old enoughh to do it the (RACERS) and NHRA have taken all the true meaning of the sport away! Its what can we do to change the rules, Look at a old rule book, the only thing the same is the class letters on the windows! I have a 1972 buick GS that was my fathers, and i would love to run it in G/SA but it has to weigh 3860LBS and run some where in the 11.30s to be any where close to compeditive. I went to the US nationals this year for the first time since 1984 i took a walk late monday night when we got there, no sounds, no smells. nothing but the moon lighting up a place, and a sport that has meant so much to so many, and think about all the blood sweat and tears that have been left on that track took my breath away. And we and nhra are killing it! The pros the sportsman cars all of it, when one out of every 3 stockers have a toterhome, and stacker then some things wrong. I love this sport, it has meant more to me, and my family than it could to any one, but lets face it. its dieing, just like the GOV. lets hope AHRA does some thing good!

 

This thread is 6 years old.

 

Wtf

 

I have thought about this too. At our local track Shannonville Motorsports park they have a test and tune night anfd the palce is packed. You cant even leave if you want to because someone is parked behind you. Mostly street cars and a few nostalgia type cars and the odd time trial from a pros tyle race car. Go ack on Sunday when the big $$$$$$ cars are runnig for the gold and there is hardly anyone in the stands. maybe 30 or 50 people. The night before there was no sitting room. I asked why is that. I will take it even further. Why would I and many others rather watch Pinks All Out or Pass Time rather than a NHRA national event. Could it be that the pro racing is so far removed from reality or the attainabilty of normal people that it has becoe irrelevant? WHy does no one want to watch the faster cars even at our local track but will sit in the stands all night to watch street races and such? I dont know the answer but the trend is very obvious. Somewhere drag racing has passed the audience by.
Don

 

it has become professional wrestling on asfault

 

Suddenly it's 2003. Wow, the threads still on the board go back a long ways.

 

It's not Winston Cup anymore, and for the last few years - it is NOT thriving.
If you watched any of the races, you'd see large empty areas in the stands.
If you read any of the racing media - you'd know that ticket sales are way down.
About the only racing that is growing is the ADRA, and they give their tickets away.

 

Professional drag racing does still maintain a somewhat healthy audience (the number of people in the stands at some events are still relatively decent)... Although we have to take into account the fact that drag racing has always been an "underdog" in the world of professional sports... Despite the fact that it appears to be a "simplistic" concept of a motorsport, with two cars leaving from a standing start, accelerating to the finish line, first one to cross it wins, lotsa people watch it, yet still don't "get it" or can even comprehend why anybody would want to do it--- And yes, the "corporate" and "glossed over" treatment and "makeover" that the sport has undergone over the last couple of decades has become a "turn off" for some of those who are more inclined to enjoy the sport in a more "down 'n' dirty" and "nitty gritty" fashion... I realize that this is a sensitive (and often controversial) issue, and opinions definitely vary among those in the gearhead community... Being the "underdog" of a sport that drag racing really is, it's a sport that does occasionally have difficulty gaining traction (not necessarily just on the track) but among all the other forms of professional sports/entertainment which it finds itself working so hard (maybe even too hard) to compete with in getting a decent piece of the mainstream sports market share... It's tough out there... "The Doc" (Celebrity Drag Racing Authority & Visionary)...

 

Another old guy sounding off. Did some drag racing in the late 50s early 60s. To me drag racing died when they stopped giving trophys and payed money to winners and did away with class's like comp.coupe, street roadster or just old gas class's. We did it just for fun.

 

Can I get an AMEN!!!

Frank

 

I think that it may have lost some of it's audience. But has replaced them ten fold. I have been to some standing room only events in the last couple of years.

 

Nhra needs better tv coverage. end of story

 

It's all corporate, I don't even really like to go to the BIG races, I have a better time at the smaller tracks, watching joe blow in his chevy truck pull a front wheel two inches and he thought that was the greatest thing in the world, Thats where the real fun is, with people that love it, The big racers don't LOVE what they do, just LOVE that check they get. Look at NASCAR,(both sports our lifestyle has deep roots in) you can't get anymore corporate than that, it's all for money now. I actually saw a roll of tape that said "The OFFICIAL TAPE OF NASCAR" I mean really? I dispise NASCAR. Anything NHRA is getting pretty close to the same feelings from me at the moment. Give it ten more years and I'm sure I'll hate NHRA also. My view on BRACKET RACING since someone mentioned it, is that the word RACING should'nt be used, Why even drive a car down the track at all? Why not just walk up to the booth, wait for the light, hit a button, and see who did it faster, NOT RACING.

 

You said it good crackerass.

Corporate money ruins everything. Always has, always will.

 

It all boils down to money and tax deductable.If the nhra teams had to build cars and buy parts,they would not be on tv.It's just like football or basketball or maybe even bicyle riding(did i say bicyle riding.i give that up 50 years ago when i was a kid)The rich get richer and well you know the rest.

 

Seems they did just that at a bracket final this year!! Saw it at Drag Race results site. Practice tree finals now thats racing!!

 

I helped a friend in the years before they closed down Detroit Drag Way..O/T car so I wont go into that end of things..
I used to love going in the many years before(as a spectator, and before all the wierd rules came in), and once i got involved in being his engine (drive train bitch)..it lost all its good clean fun..braket racing..WTF is that? it all came down to who had the best equipment and who was faster at flicking a switch

my way was match the cars close, green light..who made it to the end first wins..anything else is just jerkin the gerkin..thats how i feel anyways...heads up racing is what i want to see, and be involved in with out all the gadgets

 

Bracket Racing ,,made it sucky

"you loose ,you went to fast " to fast ?? Thats the whole idea

 

Todays pro cars are to much like Spec racers. Before you had all kinds of different things to look at. Different ideas to think about. It was interesting. That's why HAMB drage and Pinks All Out are fun. Home made cars with personality really racing as best they can.

 

Exactly!

 

yes, but still timely....there's still a lot of discontent with the NHRA.

great thread.

can anyone shed some light on the newly re-formed AHRA? will it be more of a grass-roots organization; and do they have any tracks up and running?

 

I am still active in drag racing and there is another organization out there ADRL or something like that that is all heads-up run what you brung. Rules are basically tire size and car weight. We run 1/8th mile for a couple reasons, safety being formost. A friend runs in this event and he clicks off 3.70's; the whole event is basically cars that run under 5 seconds in the 1/8th and it costs $10 for a spectator. We run a door car on nitrous and have run 4.40's. It is like old-time racing, we all stick together and help each other and have a ball. The fans just love it, it is an incredible form of racing. It reminds me of the early days of promod racing. We run local events, it is all outlaw type racing i can get the proper name for the national events if anybody is interested.
Thats' it ZigZag! AHRA! Thats pure excitement with some oldtime racin.

 

I recall Robert Williams once telling me how he gave up on drag racing when he thought it became more about corporate gloss and less about "real" hot rodding-- And I realize that there's quite a few people who share that same opinion... However, it does seem that no matter what it is, sports, entertainment, etc, it's inevitable that corporate big money will eventually work its way in and morph and modify the scene into something that $uit$ the corporate side of it better-- And it's very hard to keep things "real" when corporate dollars break down the floodgates-- In drag racing, the sport has reached such a high plane (financially) that if the corporations walked away now, it would cause a major collapse of the whole system... I too enjoy "grass roots" heads-up outlaw drag racing, and I can appreciate drag racing stripped of gloss and corporate trimmings, however, there's lots of people among the general population who prefer the more corporate and "glossy" version of the sport-- I've learned to appreciate practically all the different forms and financial formats the sport has morphed into-- It should be very interesting to see where this all goes in the next decade or two... "The Doc" (Celebrity Drag Racing Authority & Visionary)...

 

That was actually said to me,,Back in teh 80's racing at Englishtown.

Lined up,,and first shock a fucking Chevy Suburban !! with a bunch of class win stickers and I think his ET was like 21 seconds

I had a 68 Charger,,lights go ,,we go I cross first ( was very excited cause if I won that race I got a Trophy )

Pull in all excited ,,only to find out the Chevy got the win cause I "broke out"

I was pissed,,That was my last trip to the track

I understand Consistency,, yet,,if I can go faster to me thats what racing ment.

I also understand there are rules,,but hey,,that was my fastest time of teh day ,,which also made me happy,,yet cost me the race..

Just all seems backwards to me

 

Good thread......agree with the NHRA comments in general. Look at ADRL racing series. On tv every so often. Heads up, no rules, run what ya brung. 1/8 mile only, and door cars well over 200mph. They charge $10 per car load to get in, period.Pack the stands, sponsored by National Guard. NMCA/NMRA is also cool for door car fans.NHRAs B.S. has given opportunities to these series.

 

It's not just drag racing that suffers from the same disease - Indy Car racing has become a spec class as well. All the cars are the same, powered by identical fart-can sounding Hondas. There's no innovation to speak of and the fans are tuning out.

Tom Jobe, of "The Surfer's" fame, said it best when he was asked why he abruptly quit drag racing in the mid 60's:

"I could see a day when the only thing that would differentiate the cars would be their paint jobs and that doesn't interest me.."

Pretty much spot on and if it doesn't interest the competitors, why should we think spectators would give a shit..?

 

sounds like the same feeling i got and why i quit, same for my friend that i helped crew..I dont even go any more to even watch, if i wanted to i could see the braket racing in my living room and probably tell who was going to "win" before they even staged.

I still have one of the 3 -68 Chargers I owned..a bit large and heavy for drag racing (out of the box so to speak) but put enough Ummmph in them and they sure do pull hard.

Now the HAMB drags, I have to go see this one of these days

 

Quoting John Force in his November 2009 Drive Magazine editorial, "So, its not about winning and losing on the racetrack. Its also about winning and losing in Corporate America". Also, "my real job is selling the sport of drag racing and selling product for my sponsors". He goes on to say that the budget for EACH of his 4 funny cars is 3 million bucks a year!!
Give me amateur racing/sports any time!!